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Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I sit here and write an article about medical tourism in Mexico, healthcare in Mexico, retiring in Mexico, or how life and culture is in Mexico.

Coming up with a new topic everyday is not easy, but I try to do my best. And the reason I do this is because I want to help you learn something about any of these topics that you didn't know about.

But if there is something that you think I haven't covered, or something that you want to read about, let me know in the comments. I will be glad to do some research and write about it if I can.

Also, if you like my blog, support it by buying a copy of either The English Speaker's Guide to Doctors and Hospitals in Mexico, a guide of the best doctors and health centers with experience treating foreigners in the most visited areas of Mexico, or The English Speaker's Guide to Medical Care in Mexico, a guide that explains how the Medical healthcare system works, what to do in case of an emergency, and what cultural differences you can expect from visiting a doctor in Mexico.

Thanks for reading, and see you next Friday!

Also, read about the top 5 countries with medical tourism growth potential.

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Robert Ervin is a freelancer who writes about healthcare, medical tourism, and living in Mexico.

If you're considering traveling to Mexico for healthcare or retiring in Mexico, you may want to  get yourself a copy of The English's Speaker's Guide to Doctors and Hospitals in Mexico in order to find a good doctor or hospital in the main towns and cities of Mexico, or The English Speaker's Guide to Medical Care in Mexico, to understand how the Mexican healthcare system works.   

The Mexican "No"

There is no shortage of guests in Mexico, even for just watching soccer.

There is a joke about ex-pats that Mexicans will never ever say "no." Like many stereotypes behind a joke, it signals a tendency rather than a rule.

Mexicans value personal relationships much more than Americans. This means that Mexicans take things more personal. Sometimes, an American can seem too rough or rude to a Mexican, while the Mexican can seem too sensitive or thin-skinned to an American.

Another example is criticism at work. Americans tend to separate their work from their persons, but Mexicans do not. Thus, criticism of one's performance in public is much more embarrassing to a Mexican than to an American. Obviously, like with everything, there are exceptions.

At the extreme, saying "no" directly can be seen by some Mexicans as a mild insult. It may sound weird to Americans but when a Mexican says "yes" when they mean "no," it's because he doesn't want to insult you. To him, it's like if you are offering a gift, and then he insults you by rejecting it.

So, how do you know if a "yes" is a "yes" or a "no"? It takes practice. Here are a few tips.

Understand that it's a stereotype. Mexicans come in all types. And a person is an individual first, and a Mexican second. Also, it's a cultural thing and complaining about it is not going to go away.

When it comes to real important things, Mexicans have no problem saying "no." For example, a doctor or a potential employer will not be afraid to say "no" in a professional setting.

On the other hand, Mexicans have no problem saying "yes" to invitations to parties or get-togethers, when they know fully well they're not going. In Mexico, this isn't considered rude. On the contrary, it is the responsibility of the host to adjust for people not showing up, or showing up with an extra guest or two. At the very least, assume that a Mexican will show up with a friend, spouse, or romantic interest. Mexicans typically prepare extra food, just in case, which often gives them an excuse for a second, smaller reunion the next day, called the "recalentado," literally,  the "re-heating" (of the food).

If someone who has lived in Mexico for a while was present at the time, ask him or her later if that "yes" was a "no." Over time, you will learn who keeps his word and who doesn't.

You'll eventually memorize some "code phrases." For example, "I'll see" means "maybe" and "I'll do everything humanly possible to be there" means "no."

Living in Mexico is a different experience, and you may find some Mexican traits that you do not agree with. I guess you could always avoid it by staying in a gated ex-pat community, but then you'd miss out on many of the great aspects that living in Mexico offers.

Want to know more? Read about how Americans aren't looking forward to retirement age anymore.

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Robert Ervin is a freelancer who writes about healthcare, medical tourism, and living in Mexico.

If you're considering traveling to Mexico for healthcare or retiring in Mexico, you may want to  get yourself a copy of The English's Speaker's Guide to Doctors and Hospitals in Mexico in order to find a good doctor or hospital in the main towns and cities of Mexico, or The English Speaker's Guide to Medical Care in Mexico, to understand how the Mexican healthcare system works.

When Taboos and Human Nature Prevent Curing

"But son, that program is about sex!" "Yeah, you should watch it too"

Mexico's culture is different from American culture. For example, gender roles are more prevalent, specially in the countryside, marriage with children is seen as the expected and approved lifestyle, and authority is much more respected, and sex talk is filled with euphemisms.

Yesterday, I had a conversation with a friend that reminded me how sometimes cultural or social norms that have nothing medical or biological components, get in the way of curing and healing.

This friend was telling me about how when she was young, her parents didn't talk to her about sex. Unfortunately, this is very common, but sadly, it is even more common in cases where the risk of teen pregnancy is higher (i.e. poor and uneducated single mothers). Because of this, she didn't use protection and when she finally found a boyfriend she wanted to have a steady relationship with, she had herself tested and found that she had a few STDs and infections.

She went to the doctor and was in treatment, but the results were not as good or as fast as she expected them. Later on, while she was in line waiting to be subscribed to a program that authorizes you to sell products through catalogs, in this case a line of beauty and care products, she and other women in the program started to talk about their experiences. It was at first, typical conversation topics such as how this or that cream cleared their skin, etc. However, one of them started to talk about having using one of their products for her "intimate parts."

I put "intimate parts" in quotes precisely to make a point. Many Mexican women feel bad about using the word "vagina." To them, it is a bad word that should be avoided, specially if children are around. Not all Mexican women think it's a bad word, of course, but generally the more religious, uneducated and conservative they are, the more they avoid the word. Instead, they use a lot of euphemisms. Some of them are very simple ("down there"), some allegoric ("the flower") and some are funny or strange ("the little treasure").

Anyway, it turns out that this woman had exactly the same kind of problem and even some sort of mild cancer. In fact, she was so ill and desperate that she didn't care about using the product for a vaginal douching. To her and her doctor's surprise, the diseases disappeared and the cancer contracted.

My friend later on looked for an opportunity to have a talk with this woman, because she felt it was too embarrassing to talk about her situation with the other women around. After chatting with this woman, my friend decided to try the same product. Like the woman, her illnesses disappeared.

But she didn't tell her doctor.

Why? Again, it was shame, although a different kind of shame. You see, in Mexico, a doctor is a figure of authority, and having a treatment or using a product that the doctor didn't prescribe is perceived as an insult, even if the treatment or product works. However, this meant that my friend didn't share her information with the doctor and thus no other women benefited from this.

The story didn't end there. Two years later, my friend thought that her experience might be useful to other women, so she decided to go back to her doctor and talk about it. However, it turned out that her first reaction was right. The doctor was not happy, would not hear about it, and scolded my friend.

Please note that I'm not endorsing this product or saying it does have medical uses. My point is that all the issues in this story had nothing medical or biological about it. It would have been much better if both doctors and patients focused only on these issues and decisions were about texting, experimenting, reporting, telling their experiences, to find whether a product works or not. Instead, decisions were about avoiding shame, respecting authority, and get around bad language.

Are there cultural barriers in your country that prevent people from getting cured or healed? What are they and how can they be avoided? Please tell me what you think in the comments.

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Robert Ervin is a freelancer who writes about healthcare, medical tourism, and living in Mexico.

If you're considering traveling to Mexico for healthcare or retiring in Mexico, you may want to get yourself a copy of The English's Speaker's Guide to Doctors and Hospitals in Mexico, in order to find a good doctor or hospital in the main towns and cities of Mexico, or The English Speaker's Guide to Medical Care in Mexico, to understand how the Mexican healthcare system works.